National

Governor of California Jerry Brown just signed a bill into law which will help transgender youth in the foster care system to get the medical services they need to transition.

The law will give them access to hormone therapy, surgery, counseling and more.

“The passage of AB 2119 today is a momentous sign of hope for transgender foster youth living in the system growing up feeling neglected, forgotten, or out of place,” Democrat and California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria, who introduced the bill, said in a statement. “With this bill, I hope those foster youth will be assured that we see you, we care about you, and there is a place for you in California … AB 2119 will empower transgender foster youth to live authentically and simply be themselves.”

The law now requires the California Department of Social Services to make guidelines on identifying, coordinating and supporting “foster youth who wish to access gender-affirming healthcare,” according to the statement.

"Ensuring that Californians in foster care have access to life-saving, gender-affirming healthcare not only saves lives, but gives LGBTQ foster youth room to focus on other important aspects of their lives, including succeeding in school, building healthy relationships, and fully engaging in positive youth development programs," Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur said in a statement. “We’re proud to stand with Assemblymember Todd Gloria in support of AB 2119 and are grateful to the legislators who stood up for transgender and gender nonconforming youth.”